Harry Houdini’s Greatest Trick

On August 5, 1926, Houdini performed his greatest trick when he stayed in an underwater Coffin for 90 minutes. Known as one of the greatest magicians in all of history, Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz) lived a life most could scarcely imagine, even by modern standards. From his humble beginnings as a Hungarian immigrant to his rise to stardom, the life and times of Houdini were nothing short of spectacular, and all who witnessed him in action came away feeling like they had seen something truly larger-than-life.

The Making of a Legend

From the very beginning, Houdini lived a life that could be considered unconventional by almost any standard. In early childhood, he and his family relocated from their homeland of Hungary to the United States, where he quickly became involved with the local circus as a trapeze performer. Upon settling in New York City in 1882, he performed locally throughout the region but didn’t enjoy much success or fame at first. While gymnastics were enjoyable for the young performer, he had set his sights on another, more mysterious aspect of performance; magic .

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(Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

After meeting and falling in love with his soon-to-be wife Wilhelmina Rahner, she had changed her name to Beatrice Houdini. The two would go on to wow audiences around the world on stage together for years to come.

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